News Story

National League Play Continues

Dallas Texans 93G Red Dallas clinch spot in National Championship
Southern California Blues – Lippens win second game in a row for the weekend

Frisco, Texas (Friday, April 4, 2008) – Elite youth teams from across the country in the Girls Under-15 and Girls and Boys Under-16 age groups continue play in the US Youth Soccer National League at the Ross Stewart Soccer Complex outside of Dallas.

The Under-15 Girls match between Dallas Texans 93 and SoCal Blues – Dodge showcased two teams seeking to position themselves as one of the top two teams in the league and earn the ticket to the US Youth Soccer National Championships this summer.

Playing in front of friends and family, Abby Smith put the Texans on the board in the 48th thanks to a shot from over ten yards outside the box that beat the SoCal keeper high. The ball found room between the keeper's outstretched hands and the top post. SoCal would regroup and create opportunities to tie the match but the Texans backline would hold to keep the 1:0 win.

The win secured the Texans one of the top two spots in the league. "This is what these girls have been playing for and last year when we lost in the (US Youth Soccer) regional finals we immediately started to think about this year and earning our way to nationals," said Ryan Higgenbotham, Dallas Texans.

Look for a motivated Texan side in tomorrow's match with Eclipse Select (IL), where a Texans win will secure the inaugural US Youth Soccer National League title.

In the Girls Under-16 division, Southern California Blues – Lippens came into the game seeking a second win on the weekend. Their opponent tonight, Hurricane FC 92 Shubert (OK) had different plans. SoCal had two shots off the post in the first half, but was unable to capitalize as the half drew to a close. Jordan Morada created space in the 51st and scored to give SoCal the one point advantage. SoCal would go on to hold and win their second match of the weekend.

"We knew we had to come out strong. We came this far and we knew we had to give it our all," Morada said. "After yesterday's win, we knew we had to go into tonight the same way by staying strong mentally and not get down."

SoCal has two league games left this weekend. "We need to learn to organize better, communicate more and never stop scoring after we get one," Sam Yackley of SoCal said. "It's a great honor to travel and meet the best of the best in this (US Youth Soccer National League) league; it's an honor to play the game."

For more information about the US Youth Soccer National League, including latest schedules, scores and more visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

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About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) – US Youth Soccer -The Game for ALL Kids!® is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3.2 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member state associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

Media Request: When referring to the United States Youth Soccer Association, the largest youth sports organization in the United States, please refer to the association only as US Youth Soccer, and never as USYS or USYSA. We appreciate your cooperation.

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